Arlington’s Construction Services Inspectors Ensure Projects Meet City’s Standards and Specifications
By Susan Schrock, Office of Communication
Posted on November 08, 2019, November 08, 2019

A construction services inspector inspects work on Abram Street in Downtown.

Construction crews continue to work on adding an additional inside lane along northbound Collins Street between Mayfield and Interstate 20 in southeast Arlington and will soon begin replacing damaged concrete panels along the busy thoroughfare to create a smoother ride for drivers.

It’s Construction Services Inspector Joel Whitley’s job to make sure everything that’s part of the $4.5 million project to ease congestion and improve the City’s infrastructure is installed correctly, from landscaping and irrigation improvements to the new sidewalks and sidewalks ramps along this portion of Collins.

“We inspect projects from the ground up,” said Whitley, who has worked for the City for eight years.

Whitley is one of 14 inspectors in the Arlington Public Works and Transportation Department with the critical task to ensure all work that happens in the City’s right-of-way meets all of Arlington’s standards and specifications, said Construction Services Manager Clark George. This includes underground utilities, drainage improvements, traffic signal and street light installation, pavement marking, and street, sidewalk and bridge work. Last fiscal year, the inspectors reviewed nearly $84.7 million worth of projects managed by Parks and Recreation, Water Utilities, Public Works and Transportation and Planning and Development Services that were under construction across the 99-square-mile city, George said.

The Collins Street construction project, which aligns with the City Council Priority to Enhance Regional Mobility, is currently Whitley’s largest project to oversee. This 2014 bond project consists of widening Collins by two additional lanes and adding southbound right turn lanes at both Arbrook Boulevard and IH-20. Additional improvements include replacing existing concrete panels as needed; adjusting water and sanitary sewer facilities; replacing traffic signals, street lights, pavement markings, street signs, sidewalks, fiber conduit, and median landscaping and irrigation improvements.

The new southbound inside lane is already open to traffic. The entire project is anticipated to be complete by February 2020.

Construction Services Inspectors Data in Action

Enhance Regional Mobility, Data in Action
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